But while she made it to the top of women's handball, her beginnings in handball did not feature youth national teams. So, as she says, “I build myself in a different way. I did not have the chance to have Respect Your Talent camps, but I made it my own, talking to Siraba Dembele-Pavlovic or Allison Pineau when I made my debuts in the national team.”
Based on her career, which is far from over yet, there are quite a few things that Beatrice Edwige would like to focus on while talking to the young players in the Respect Your Talent programme. “I would like to tell them to surround themselves with the good people. I come from an era when we did not have any agents, for instance, or any personal coaches. Things have changed a lot for players, and in a good way, but you have to be careful as bad choices can quickly wreck a career” explains the 34-year-old.
The best way to get the message across, she thinks, is to try to do it positively. “I want the girls to enjoy the moment, first and foremost. If they realise how lucky they are to have this kind of opportunity and come to talk to us with a smile, it will be easier to tell them my story” says Edwige. Of course, the setting might be a little bit more formal than at training or before a game, but the perspective will be exactly the same.
And while the focus will be put on handball, of course, Beatrice Edwige promises she will not forget to empower these young girls to become powerful women: “I want them to believe in themselves. I learnt that in my personal experience, that is what drove me to that level. Self-belief and work, these are the two keys, in handball or in your everyday life.”
